One day, Carlene Melton paints a picture that says “Break Free” and hangs it on the wall of her bedroom.

The teenager, far from her family, is on her own and trying to figure everything out as she joins the work force and starts college.

A steadying force in her life is The Faine House, a place for young people such as Melton to live after they have become too old for the foster care system.

The Faine House is run by the Children’s Home Society of Florida, a nonprofit that receives funding from the Orlando Sentinel’s Family Fund Holiday Campaign.

“Because we are privately funded, everything makes a difference,” said Cheryl Distler, the program’s manager.

The staff sometimes acts like surrogate parents.

They explain how to fill out financial aid forms for college or start a bank account and get a driver’s license. They cheer at college graduation ceremonies and act as chauffeurs so the young people don’t have to ride the bus alone at night after their work shift ends.

Distler and her small staff make up a significant part of The Faine House’s $275,000 annual budget. The young people pay $600 in monthly rent, money they get from the state, but that doesn’t even offset the cost of utilities to run the building, Distler said.

Melton, who turned 19 on Thursday, doesn’t like talking about her past.

She left home in Kissimmee when she was 15 and was placed in a group foster home. She hasn’t talked to her mother since. At 16, her aunt offered to take her in.

Together, they moved around the country, and Melton went to high school in Nevada. But she came back to Florida, eager to take advantage of college tuition waivers that are available to some who have spent time in foster care.

“This was my idea. I really wanted to go away and do things on my own,” Melton said.

In August, she moved into The Faine House, an unassuming, beige building off Clarcona-Ocoee Road in Orlando. The 10,000-square foot home has a 10 dormitory-style bedrooms and a wing of administrative offices. Four therapists also offer free support in the conference rooms.

Inside, there’s a kitchen, where the residents, who are 18 up to their early 20s, rotate cooking meals, with a pantry stocked with cereal and Hamburger Helper. The family room is decorated with a comfy couch, a large TV and pictures of zebras and the Eiffel Tower.

“It’s very homey. It doesn’t look like your average group home,” Melton says.

She has made friends with the other residents who sometimes chose to live at The Faine House for a few months while others stay for years.

Melton and her roommates watch a spooky movie marathon for Halloween or often eat dinner together.

“We don’t talk about each other’s past. The past is the past,” Melton said. “You have to move forward to make yourself better.”

And that’s what she is doing.

She decided to study psychology at Valencia College, although she is passionate about baking and photography too. She recently started a new job at a clothing store, excited for a paycheck to save up for a car.

Her other newly discovered passion is community service, something she credits the Faine staff for pushing her to be more active. She regularly feeds homeless people in downtown Orlando.

“I’m still figuring out who I want to be in life,” Melton says. “Being here has opened my mind to so many different things.”